1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automobile upper body structure, and more particularly to an automobile upper body structure of an open top type. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a full open type automobile upper body structure wherein the roof panel and the rear windshield can be removed and/or fully retracted.
2. Description of Prior Art
Conventionally, an open top type automobile includes a foldable hood which normally covers the top and rear sections when extended for bad weather operations but can be folded rearward to completely open the top and rear sections of the upper body structure for operations in fine weather. It has, however, been experienced in this type of body structure that it is difficult to maintain the weather tight properties throughout the life of the automobile since the seals between the hood and the front windshield and/or the side windows are apt to be broken. Another inconvenience in this type of automobile body is that the hood has a tendency of producing wind noises in high speed operation.
Another type of open top automobile body is the one which includes a rigid roof panel removably attached to the body between the front and rear windshields. This type of body structure is considered as being free from the problems as pointed above in connection with the body structure having a rearwardly foldable hood. It should, however, be noted that this type is disadvantageous in that the rear windshield panel remains, even when the rigid roof panel is removed.
In the British Pat. No. 2086316, there is disclosed an open top automobile body structure including a hoop member of an inverted U-shape having a pair of leg portions swingably attached to the rear body portion at the opposite sides thereof. A foldable rear hood section is provided between the hoop member and the rear body portion to provide a rear windshield section when the hoop member is in the erected position. A rigid roof panel is provided so as to be mounted to extend between the front windshield structure and the hoop member to cover the top of the passenger compartment. The rigid roof panel is removable and the hoop member can be swung rearward from the erected position to the retracted position simultaneously folding the rear hood section. The body structure as disclosed by the British patent eliminates the problems of the open top automobile body structure having a rearwardly foldable hood because it has a rigid roof structure. Further, it also eliminates the problem of the conventional open top body haing a rigid roof panel because the rear hood section can be retracted. The rear hood section is secured, in the structure of the British patent, at the front edge to the hoop member and at the side and rear edges to the upper edge of the rear body section. Thus, in the retracted position, the rear hood section is folded and stored in a space defined in the rear body section, and the hoop member is placed on the folded rear hood section.
In the structure disclosed by the British patent, it is desirable that the hoop member as well as the rear hood section can be retracted to positions below the upper edge of the rear body section. It should however be noted that retracting the hoop member and the rear hood section to such positions is not compatible with getting a sufficiently wide rear view through the rear hood section. In order to have a rear view through the rear hood section, the rear hood section is provided with a transparent part which is conventionally made of a synthetic material. However, the transparent part made of a synthetic material is apt to be scratched, losing its transparency in use. Further, it is very difficult to maintain a planar configuration throughout a prolonged use of the vehicle so that the vision through the transparent part of the rear hood section will become distorted due to possible deformations of the transparent part in its use.
It is therefore recommendable to make the transparent part by a glass material. However, since the glass is not flexible, it causes a restriction in folding the rear hood section. In order to have the rear hood section retracted into the storing space with the front edge portion secured to the hoop member and the side and rear edge portions secured to the upper edge of the rear body section, it is required to have flexible parts of the rear hood section folded on the rigid transparent part which is made of glass. If the flexible parts can be folded around the transparent part, the hoop member and the rear hood section can be retracted to positions below the upper edge of the rear body section. It should however be noted that this design will undesirably decrease the field of vision through the transparent part of the rear hood section. Contrary to this, if the transparent part is made sufficiently large, it will become difficult to retract the hoop member to a sufficiently low position so that the hoop member may project beyond the upper edge of the rear body section.
The aforementioned problems may be solved by making the rear hood section removable from the hoop member and/or the rear body section. However, this solution is not recommendable because inconvenient handlings are required in retracting and extending the rear hood section.